Honduras
Travel Guide > Central America > Honduras
In this Article
- Introduction
- Brief History
- Geography
- Regions
- Cities
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting there
- Getting around
- Red Tape
- Money
- Work
- Study
- Language
- Eat
- Sleep
- Drink
- Health
- Safety
- Keep Connected
Quick Facts
[edit]
- Capital
- Tegucigalpa
- Population
- 6,670,000
- Government
- Democratic Constitutional Republic
- Religions
- Christianity (Catholic)
- Languages
- Spanish, Amerindian dialects
- Calling Code
- +504
- Nationality
- Honduran
Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.
Introduction
With its prime location between the Caribbean and Pacific, Honduras' natural and historical treasures remain its greatest attractions for visitors. The Bay Islands, off the Caribbean coast, offer all that you would expect from a Caribbean island destination: superb diving, snorkelling and fishing around gorgeous coral reefs. But what gives Honduras an edge over its neighbours is the extensive rainforest jungle (the largest in Central America) that marks its inland territory. Additionally, the nation boasts the impressive Mayan ruins at Copan, which are widely considered to be some of the best-preserved ruins around.
Unfortunately, Honduras' lack of wealth has given it a slow start in setting up as a tourist destination. But for those visitors willing to put up with some roughness around the edges, Honduras promises a fantastic holiday.
Brief History
Geography
Sights and Activities
Copan
The ancient Mayan site of Copan was discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio and nowadays functions as one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization. However, they were not excavated until the 19th century. The ruined citadel and imposing public squares reveal the three main stages of development before the city was abandoned in the early 10th century. As a result of its historical significance it is placed on the Unesco World Heritage List.
Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve
Another important Unesco sight is located in the northwest of the country, which mainly contains uninhabited areas. The Río Plátano Biosphere reserve is one of the few remains of a tropical rainforest in Central America and has a high biodiversity with abundant and varied plant and wildlife. Besides its natural significance, there are over 2000 indigenous people who live here and have preserved their traditional way of life in piece with the surrouding pristine nature.
Roatan
Roatan is part of the magnificent Honduras Bay Islands, which are located north of the mainland in the Caribbean Sea. The island and many others have some most beautiful white and palmfringed beaches which are good for relaxing after an exhausting trip into the interior of the country. To add, the snorkelling and diving is among the best spots in the Caribbean, because of its proximity near the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea (and the second worldwide after The Great Barrier Reef). The island is visited by both upmarket cruiseship passengers as low budget backpackers.
Other sights and activities
- Lake Yojoa
- Colonial towns - Gracias, Comayagua, Omoa (with its Spanish colonial fortress)
Events and Festivals
Weather
Getting there
Plane
Toncontín International Airport (TGU) near the capital Tegucigalpa has several airlines with international connections including TACA to and from Miami, San Salvador and Guatemala City. Atlantic Airlines de Honduras has flights to Belize and Nicaragua and other destinations include Panama City and Houston. Golosón International Airport (LCE) near La Ceiba offers a few international connections as well, like those to and from Toronto, Cancun and Grand Cayman.
By Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Ferries include those to southern Belize.
Getting around
Plane
Islena Airlines, Atlantic Airlines de Honduras and TACA all have domestic flights, including those to Roatan.
By Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
There are ferries between the mainland and Roatan.
Red Tape
Money
Work
Study
Language
Related article: Spanish: Grammar, pronunciation and useful phrases
Spanish is the official language of Honduras.
Eat
Sleep
Drink
Health
Safety
This is version 8. Last edited at 8:02 on Jul 11, 08 by dr.pepper (+56). 15 articles link to this page.
More about Honduras on Travellerspoint
Community Activity
- Forum Discussions
- Blog Entries (71)
- Trips to Honduras (429)
- Honduras members (21)
- Honduras featured photos (16)
- Honduras travel helpers (7)
Honduras Accommodation
- Hostels (3)
- Guesthouses / B&Bs (7)
- Budget Hotels (8)
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License